Eating Noddemix wrote:

iembalm wrote:

Eating Noddemix wrote:I'd be interested to hear more about the side effects, though surely they vary from person to person.

Well, it would be nice to be able to successfully masturbate within, oh, an hour without feeling like I'm going to have a stroke.

Really?

Shit.

I was diagnosed as bipolar today and the doc (a highly intelligent man who specializes in treating bipolar disorder) prescribed lithium. He said it wouldn't have sexual side-effects. And unlike depakote it wont make me gain 30lbs. in a month. I guess I'll have to wait and see, be my own guinea pig.

The people on this thread are all grouping lithium in with the antidepressants, with which it has precious little in common, and which do bring on marked side effects.
Lithium is an entirely different category, and is *much* less volatile.
Don't worry.

Now that he's off other toxic stuff, my friend doesn't visibly show any side effects; he just looks and acts a lot more together. I've emailed him, though.

Eating Noddemix wrote:I'd be interested to hear more about the side effects, though surely they vary from person to person.

I dated a girl who had to take Lithium and she was on the maximum dose and it helped her even out quite a bit. I don't know your dosage but expect some nausea. When she first started, maybe for a month, it made her sick and barfy but the lack of craziness was a bigger benefit. I don't think it affected her libido but this was 1993 and we were both 20 year old horndogs then.

Good luck, I hope you feel better.

A theraputic dose of the drug is close to a dangerous dose, so blood monitoring of lithium levels is critical. Alcohol depletes lithium in your system, so heavy imbibing is discouraged.

hey, get a second opinion before you go on that shit..

how did they determine your prognosis?
what tests did you take?

have you looked at the dsm4 (5by now?)
you do realize it reads like a crappy horoscope right?

going off that drug was incredibly hard.

and it didn't help me much at the time..

you're one bugged out loudmouth there can be no doubt..
but i wouldn't call you any more moody than the next..

get a second opinion.

My friend has passed on this advice:

as for the lithium, i personally experience no side effects, but i think some people do. in fact it depends from person to person and i know a girl who had some physical discomfort from it. i guess your friend just has to give it a try and try not to worry about side effects or you can dream them up. if lithium doesn't suit him though there are other alternatives. he might need to find one that suits him best. hope that helps. i am not sure what it says on the internet, but there is a lot of ignorance surrounding medication issues, so if your friend has any more worries, let me know. oh i forgot lithium can bring on weight gain as you are aware after seeing me put on the pounds, but this is not a problem if you eat heathily and exercise regulary. easier said than done hey.

Take care

x

Not one of the best Thin White Rope songs.

I have known only one person that was severely bipolar and they were by far the most intelligent person I have met. It just so happens that their exceptional brilliance only manifested itself during times of mania. As a result they were constantly reluctant to take their lithium on a regular basis, using it only at times when they were near suicide. It was evident during the rare bouts when they were consistently taking the prescribed dosage that the medicine did a great deal to regulate and improve their mood. The only side effects they mentioned were, I believe, attributed to the Zoloft they were also prescribed.


Jon

First week was fine, but I do NOT like the way this drug is making me feel right now. It's as if a gelatinous fog of mild nausea is permeating my core being, and I just feel barfy and depressed. Like half a person. Got black circles under my eyes. Not much peace of mind at the moment.

Your Cap'n Speakin' wrote:A theraputic dose of the drug is close to a dangerous dose, so blood monitoring of lithium levels is critical. Alcohol depletes lithium in your system, so heavy imbibing is discouraged.

This is why I'm taking a blood test this week. I'm also completely straight now, save for cigarettes. I did smoke pot once but afterwards it made me feel strange. [Pot smoking is generally pretty bad for bioplar people. One of the worst things in fact.] Had a beer a couple times and it had a similar effect.

r0ck1r0ck2 wrote:hey, get a second opinion before you go on that shit..

This may not be a bad idea.

r0ck1r0ck2 wrote:how did they determine your prognosis?

A doctor who is one of NE's experts on bipolar mood disorder diagnosed me during an hour-long interview. That may not be extensive enough for you, but I know what's going on inside my head and he's happens to be right. I have many symptoms which I'd rather not get into now. Remember, just because I'm not in the middle of the street directing traffic, or having lots of unprotected sex, or punching out windows, it doesn't I don't have this.

r0ck1r0ck2 wrote:but i wouldn't call you any more moody than the next..

This is like the time you almost said you were as good a dancer as James Brown, Josh. I'm truly flattered and all but please try to understand that you lack certain vital information here.

I have more to say on this subject (lithium/mania/depression/behavioral health care), but it'll have to wait.

Thank you, though, to everyone who PM'd me and posted in this thread (Sparky, Barbo, Mazec, Josh, etc.)

1.) i didn't say i was as good a dancer i just said i could do those moves..

and i fucking well can..

2.) get a second opinion.. please..

3.) fine, he's an expert on bipolar mood disorder..
that means it's is his life's work.
that means he has a stake in it..
i would guess he looks for it under every rock.

every time i've been to the shrink, i invariably get diagnosed with the most popular disorder at the time..
1994 is was ADHD
1996 it was bipolar disorder.
i have no doubt that if i went to an american shrink today i would get a mild case of autism
if i went to a spanish shrink today, they would probably tell me to have some wine and go to the beach.

4.) read the dsmIV entry on bipolar mood disorder, then read the next entry...then one at random..
think of it as a horoscope while you do it..

5.) at least take a fucking test that isn't led by this guy..
try the MMPs..(minnesota multiple personality Test?)
something like that...

get and EEG..

i've been really screwed in the head this past year..i attribute it to the life changing move i just did..
about the same time as you moved wasn't it..?
you're in a new pond and your freaking out..
there is a lot of stress..and it's really hard to deal with..

lay off the pot..try to exercise..clear your head..

then when the shit mood swings persist, think about meds..


look dave, i'm not trying to second guess you, or make you feel like you made the wrong choice..
i just don't want my friends on Lithium..
i was on that drug...did nothing for me and sucked like hell..
i still dropped out of school.

i responded much better to busbar..(it's an anti-anxiety pill...quite addictive.)
i still dropped out of school.


i have no problems with meds, i just wish they were more fun.. i'm waiting for that superserum they gave steve rogers..you know, capt america..that sort of shit.

if this lithium doesn't do the trick after a month or two
you should try something else..

there are plenty of mood stabilizer pills out there..
and i would hope that the newer pills have made some progress since 1952(?) when they started using lithium.